74: Recapture Manen

With things already said to this extent, was there even a need to choose?

Man En immediately kowtowed, his head hitting the ground with loud thuds as he cried out repeatedly:

"I choose the first option! I choose the first option! Thank you, Lords, for your mercy!"

He took a breath and hurriedly added:

"I will never forget the great kindness of the two Immortal Masters for saving my life! If you do not mind, I am willing to bring my young master and follow you! I will run errands and serve you! I will have no second thoughts!"

"Haha! Fourth Brother, look!" Li Qingfeng said joyfully to Li Qinghe:

"This Man En looks honest, but his mind turns quickly! He's afraid we'll burn the bridge after crossing it, so he's immediately taking the opportunity to seek protection by offering to serve us with his young master! Fine! He's a talent! I appreciate this kind of person! How about... we take him in?"

Li Qinghe asked back, "Take him in?"

"Yes! We happen to be short-handed! Let him be the Head Instructor! He can teach those boys how to train their strength and fight! I can save some worry and have more time to Cultivate!"

"Alright, I'll listen to Third Brother," Li Qinghe nodded.

Li Qingfeng casually pulled a blank Jade Slip from his Storage Pouch and tossed it in front of Man En:

"Here, take it! Press it against your forehead and use your Qi and blood power to record the Cultivation Technique you practice completely! Don't play any tricks! It's not like we're the ones practicing it; if something goes wrong, the ones to suffer will surely be you and this child!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Rest assured, Lord! This subordinate would never dare to hide anything!"

Man En hurriedly picked up the Jade Slip and followed Li Qingfeng's instructions, carving everything in his mind regarding the Bloodline Body Forging Method into the Jade Slip without missing a single detail. Once finished, he held the Jade Slip above his head with both hands.

With a hook of Li Qingfeng's finger, the Jade Slip flew into his hand.

He swept his Divine Sense through it, and his brow immediately furrowed. He stared at Man En and asked:

"Why are there only methods, Moves, and medicinal soup recipes for the 'Blood Moving' Realm? Where is the 'Bone Forging' Realm and above?"

As he spoke, a sliver of pressure from his Qi Refinement Stage leaked out, causing the grass on the surrounding ground to tremble.

Terrified, Man En hurriedly knelt and kowtowed again:

"Reporting to the Lord! I truly only know this much! Cultivation Techniques above 'Bone Forging' are only known to the direct descendants of the tribe! Only if a clansman reaches Perfection in 'Blood Moving' and performs a great service, or is willing to marry into the direct line as a son-in-law, can they be rewarded with the techniques and secret medicines to Breakthrough to 'Bone Forging'!"

He caught his breath and pointed to the child in his arms, "However, the techniques above 'Bone Forging' are on the young master!"

Seeing the two look over, he quickly explained:

"In our Barbarian King Tribe, every child born to the direct line must use the Ancestral Artifact to test if they have the direct Bloodline. Once confirmed, their Bloodline concentration is measured, and a 'Bloodline Mark' is branded onto the child."

"Once the child reaches six years old, the complete methods of the 'Bloodline Body Forging Technique' will slowly appear in their mind! I heard the Barbarian King say that every time a major Realm is broken through, the Legacy for the next Realm will automatically emerge from the mark!"

Hearing this, Li Qinghe and Li Qingfeng exchanged a look, their eyes falling on the child. Now they understood what the "Inherited Treasure" was! It was the child himself and the Bloodline Mark on him!

"Alright, stop kneeling, get up," Li Qingfeng waved his hand:

"Give me that child in your arms."

Man En was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly and carefully unwrapped the bundle on his chest, gently lifting a corner of the animal skin to see that his young master's breathing was steady, though he was still in a deep sleep.

His eyes were filled with reluctance. After several long looks, he gritted his teeth and handed over the bundle with both hands.

Li Qingfeng made a grasping motion from a distance, and the bundle flew into his hand.

Only then did Man En stand up tremblingly. Having just exerted himself to the death and remained tense throughout, the moment he relaxed, his body felt an intense weakness. He could barely stand, a change that did not escape Li Qinghe's eyes.

Li Qinghe pulled several oil-paper packages from his Storage Pouch, containing thick meat pancakes and several large pieces of braised beef and pork, plus a gourd filled with water, and threw them all to Man En:

"Catch! Eat something first."

"Thank you for the reward, Lord!"

Man En caught them and thanked him gratefully. He immediately couldn't wait to unscrew the gourd cap, taking several large gulps of water before grabbing the meat pancakes and meat chunks, stuffing them into his mouth and devouring them ravenously.

Li Qingfeng looked at the sleeping child suspended in the air and teased Li Qinghe with interest:

"Fourth Brother, look, this child is really carefree. With life-and-death fighting going on outside and his life almost lost, he can still sleep so soundly! It's just that he smells of waste, it's really unpleasant!"

Li Qinghe gave him a speechless roll of the eyes:

"Third Brother, I think you're the one who's carefree. Is it possible that this child hasn't eaten for days, has no strength, and fainted from hunger?"

"Eh? That seems likely!"

Li Qingfeng realized, "Then what should we do, Fourth Brother?"

"Sigh~"

Li Qinghe let out a sigh:

"Third Brother, first throw away that dirty animal skin on him. I'll wash him. I have a cotton coat in my Storage Pouch that I wore in the winter when I was little; I'll wrap him in that first. I also have some goat milk here to feed him."

"Fine! I'll do as you say!"

Li Qingfeng agreed readily. With a wave of his hand, a gentle force lifted the child, and the dirty animal skin bundle was torn off and tossed aside.

The child's naked lower body was covered in waste. Li Qingfeng covered his nose and mouth in disgust, took two steps back, and urged:

"Fourth Brother, hurry up! Once we're done, let's head back quickly. I still have a lot of things to do!"

Li Qinghe truly couldn't be bothered to respond to him and stepped forward.

With a beckoning of his right hand, a ball of clear water appeared out of thin air, floating in his palm.

He pointed his left hand at the child, and the water ball immediately split into several streams. Like flexible little snakes, they gently wrapped around the child's body and lower half, quickly rinsing away the filth.

Next, he took out a semi-old small black cotton coat and wrapped the child up. Finally, he took out a small jade bottle containing goat milk, carefully pried open the child's mouth, fed him a few small drops, and then put the jade bottle away.

"Fourth Brother, why not feed him more? Didn't this child faint from hunger?" Li Qingfeng was puzzled.

"I've mixed Water Spirit Qi into this goat milk. I usually use it to refresh and nourish the bodies of those child workers you hired. If I give him a few more gulps, can his little body handle it? What if he explodes from the energy!"

After Li Qinghe explained, he conveniently stuffed the child into Li Qingfeng's arms!

"Hold him!"

He himself then pulled a small wooden box from his Storage Pouch. Opening the lid, inside were rows of small paper sticks, each about the length of a finger and tightly rolled.

He took out three and put the box back.

With a rub of his fingers, a small flame emerged, lighting the three small paper sticks. He put one in his own mouth, took a puff, and then tossed the remaining two to Li Qingfeng and the just-finished Man En respectively.

Li Qingfeng caught it curiously:

"Fourth Brother, is this a cigarette? It looks quite unique!"

He imitated Li Qinghe, putting the paper stick in his mouth and taking a puff.

"Inhale... Exhale..."

An icy sensation with a unique herbal sting rushed straight to his head!

Li Qingfeng's eyes widened suddenly, and he almost choked:

"Holy cow! Fourth Brother, what did you put in this smoke? Why is the kick so strong?! After two puffs, my head feels like it's been soaked in ice water. It's incredibly refreshing!"

Li Qinghe took another puff and slowly exhaled:

"This is made from dried cold smoke grass ground into powder and rolled in straw paper. Boiling cold smoke grass into soup can refresh the mind, calm the heart, and reduce internal heat. I tried rolling it into a cigarette to see, and the effect turned out alright."

He glanced at Man En, who had just received the cigarette and was carefully learning to puff:

"Hey! Man En, you're injured and weak right now. Just take a couple of puffs to soothe yourself and refresh your spirit."

"Hey! Fourth Brother, this stuff is really not bad! Give me a few more!"

Li Qingfeng took a few more drags, feeling much more spirited, and became interested.

"We'll talk when we get back!" Li Qinghe interrupted him. "Let's finish dealing with the mess in front of us first."